Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: A Well-Sharpened Sword (1)
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A morning where the blazing sunlight draped like shimmering fabric.
Seated before the desk in the study, Ilenia spoke in a deliberately cheerful tone.
"Thank you for helping with the warehouse cleanup, mercenary! Whew, I wouldn't have even dreamed of tackling it alone, but thanks to you, we finished up quick. Oh, and your investigation into the ruins of the Wildland Priestesses was a huge help too! If you uncover any new facts in the future, please come back and tell me all about it!"
Kadim stared at her with a stony expression.
Ilenia's eyes sparkled like finely cut gems as she beamed. Her demeanor was so nonchalant it almost felt like everything had been a fleeting dream.
Yet the sunlight streaming through the window, the sun's unnaturally intense gaze beyond, proved it all too real.
"……."
Before long, Kadim noticed without effort. Her breathing was subtly off, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Physically or mentally, she'd clearly taken a major hit. Hiding the truth for her own safety hadn't been empty words.
The woman's current attitude was no doubt a belated act to fool 'Elga's' eyes. Kadim swallowed the questions lodged in his throat and played along accordingly.
"……No need for thanks. It wasn't charity anyway."
He held up the 'thank-you gift' in his hand. Ilenia slowly let a relieved smile bloom.
Duncan shot the two a baffled look.
"Eh, milord? You were cleaning the warehouse? You could've left that grunt work to me……."
"……It was too heavy for you. Anyway, business is done, so we're off, archaeologist."
"Oh, already? It feels like I've just burdened you with chores and sent you packing—I'm sorry. How about a cup of tea before you go?"
"No need. Here, these are for you."
Clink-clink—
A heap of ruined kingdom silver coins piled up on the desk. Ilenia's eyes went wide as saucers.
"They're useless to me anyway. Carrying them would just paint a target on my back. I'll take two as souvenirs—use the rest for whatever 'academic purposes' you see fit."
"……."
She stared blankly at Kadim, then slowly lifted the corners of her mouth and nodded vigorously.
Time to go. Kadim grabbed the 'thank-you gift' and hoisted the still-dazed guard captain over his shoulder. Duncan scurried after, slinging on his bag.
Ilenia staggered to her feet to see them off.
"It was great seeing you again after so long, mercenary. Next time we meet…… I hope we can chat more leisurely. May Lord Remillion's golden blessings light your journey."
"Yeah. May Atala's fury be with you too. Oh, and."
"……?"
"In my eyes, you're far better off being your stiff, honest self than forcing that fake brightness."
"……."
With that, the barbarian and the merchant left the study.
Even after the unexpected guests had vanished completely, Ilenia lingered by the door, unable to tear her gaze away.
Her heart throbbed oddly. Not from the divine punishment gnawing at her organs like a beast. She was numb to pain as long as she didn't die. Something unfamiliar was seeping into her core.
'Better to drop the fake cheer and just be real…….'
She hadn't expected such words from that gruff warrior. Entrusting her with the silver coins, saying that—it meant she'd earned a measure of trust. Risking death to speak the truth had paid off.
She brushed her cheek where the forced smile had faded. She swept back her sweat-dampened long hair and touched the piled silver coins on the desk. A faint, genuine smile graced her lips.
This time, not an act, but from the heart.
Duncan closely examined the 'thank-you gift' from Ilenia—the black bag made of strange leather.
"What in the world is this, milord? Looks like just a plain black sack……."
"Inventory."
"Pardon?"
"Empty your bag into it. All of it."
Duncan looked utterly perplexed. The black bag was less than half the size of his own. No way all his gear would fit in something that small…….
But.
"Huh?"
Everything fit.
He even shoved his entire original bag inside, and space remained aplenty. As Duncan rummaged around inside the black bag, he yelped in shock.
"Wh-whoa! Milord! This bag's way bigger on the inside than it looks! It's like a dwarf's coin purse outside, but a full warehouse in there!"
"……."
An 'Inventory' bag, infused with a vast sub-dimensional space via spatial distortion from the ruined kingdom's silver—a kind of holy relic.
In the game, it was handed out by the 'system' right at the start, so its value went underappreciated. But living through the first playthrough, Kadim had felt its necessity keenly.
The hero's party had prioritized weapons and relics against demons, skimping on food and water. The constant hunger and thirst in the demon realm had been hellish, an experience etched bone-deep in his soul.
No more worries like that. Preparing for a journey meant stocking this 'Inventory' sturdy. Bulky trophies and gear could now be stored almost limitlessly.
Acquiring such a cheat-level reward should have brought satisfaction, even to an emotionless barbarian warrior.
Yet shadows darkened Kadim's face even more.
He lifted his gaze. The sun stared back. Sunlight that had felt normal yesterday now prickled like a relentless watcher's glare. Endless doubts about this world and the gods coiled in his mind.
But this wasn't the time to brood. Real issues still demanded attention.
"……Ugh, urgh. Grrrk, graaaah……."
"Milord! The guard captain's coming to!"
Set down on the ground, the guard captain—Yulitan—finally steadied himself and stood. In a dazed tone, he asked,
"Ugh…… wh-where am I……? What the hell happened……."
"Galentana city streets. You were kidnapped and rescued."
"K-kidnapped? Me? Wait, more importantly…… where are we headed now……?"
"To meet the councilors. You'll testify so we get the subjugation reward. Snap out of it from here on."
Yulitan felt dizziness vanish like a bucket of cold water over his head.
Adonis, the councilor akin to the head of the Agon faction, pressed his throbbing temple.
"So…… damn it, you let the Demon Slayer walk free on just a verbal promise?"
"Yes, Councilor."
"And if he breaks it and bolts from the city? Then what?"
"Won't happen."
"Why?"
"He may seem brutal, but he's no honorless cur. He'd never break a vow with a fellow son of the wildlands."
"……."
Adonis sighed bitterly and waved him off. The one-armed warrior, Perun, gave a curt nod and withdrew.
The Agon faction councilors gathered once more. This time, not in the seizure warehouse reeking of blood, but in a lavish hall adorned with wrought iron and gold.
In this hectic time of power shifts, assembling two days straight was unprecedented. Yet the gravity of the matters left no room for complaints. Adonis stepped forward before the grim-faced councilors.
"You've all heard the warrior's report? That's the gist of what went down in the underworld."
"“…….”"
"Now…… let's discuss what to do next."
No one spoke up immediately. The revelations and events from the night were too vast for hasty debate.
The underworld's crushing defeat, evidence of sheltering the Forgotten God cult, suspicions of university faction councilors contacting the cult, the death of their splinter leader, and Elder Councilor Vittorio's disappearance.
Each alone would demand days of headaches to handle. All in one night? Unbelievable. Everyone's minds whirred, piecing together causes and countermeasures.
At least one figure tied it all together.
"So…… excluding Vittorio, it all boils down to the 'Demon Slayer,' right?"
With that, opinions poured out.
"No, a soldier from the mansion testified some brute knocked him out. Maybe the Demon Slayer handled Vittorio too……."
"Then isn't it the warriors who let him go that are at fault? We must hold them accountable."
"On second thought, he's too risky to recruit…… Sure, he took out thugs, but isn't he a 'human butcher' who slaughtered dozens without blinking?"
The hall buzzed with shock and fear. Consensus leaned toward neutralizing the Demon Slayer swiftly. Yesterday's recruitment talk felt naive after the night's shocks.
That tide turned with one councilor's conviction.
"But think about it—isn't this actually good?"
"“……?”"
Councilors blinked in confusion. The speaker cleared his throat and continued.
"Hear me out. The underworld was in bed with the university faction from the start, right? The Forgotten God cult is a powder keg that could invite imperial invasion if exposed, and there were signs of university ties. Plus, missing Vittorio was their top elder and key player."
"“…….”"
"Let's be frank. To seize Galentana's reins, we had to uproot them anyway. The Demon Slayer did our dirty work for us—hands clean."
"“……!”"
Come to think of it, yes.
In one night, their biggest foes had been decapitated from limbs to head. So neatly in their favor, it almost seemed commissioned.
Killing innocents makes a butcher. Killing tough enemies makes a hero. And barring Vittorio, the rest were societal scum—easy to spin. Opinions flipped to rewarding and recruiting him.
Some balked at his brutality and uncontrollability. But even those softened under Adonis's nudge.
"I agree on recruiting the Demon Slayer. And I doubt he's uncontrollable. He only struck our enemies—brutal, but discerning.
"……."
"Above all, what force do we have under us? And who leads it?"
Over three hundred Atalain warriors. Led by the arena champion, Agon's Furious Horn.
The Demon Slayer was undoubtedly elite. But no lone man could match an army's might. And their leader had slain a core demon—a hero. If needed, brute force could bend him.
The councilors nodded, solidifying on recruitment. The only issue left: tracking down Perun's releasee and bringing him here…….
Fortune smiled.
"Councilors! Th-the Demon Slayer's here! With the Golden Highway guard captain, requesting an audience!"
"“……!”"
Everyone thought the same: the pumpkin rolled right in with the vine.
"Precious guest—escort him in with utmost courtesy."
Adonis and the councilors waited leisurely for the Demon Slayer. Gripping the hilt of that keen blade, eager to wield it as they pleased.
And soon after, the Agon faction's expectations shattered.
"Heading to Agon? Perfect timing. It's our home turf—we can assist with anything. May I ask your business there?"
"To kill Agon's Furious Horn."
"……."
"“…….”"
The air froze.
Adonis and the Agon councilors gaped at Kadim, souls fled from their faces.